Rabbi Ruditsky addresses the theme of collateral damage in the flood narrative. Most Jewish texts, as he points out, deal with the reason for the flood, rather than the morality of needless deaths. He wrestles with the application of this theme in current events.
Rabbi Barenblat writes of how can we welcome Shabbat when we are so encumbered with horror and grief? She concludes with the observation that Shabbat is our foretaste of the world to come, before which we must get through the next week of trouble. She continues her blog with observations on Bereishit; the chaos in the beginning, the chaos before the formation of the State of Israel, the chaos that we are witnessing today. She references the sorrow of Cain and Abel, and God’s choice to favor one over the other. She concludes with the observation that we are all each other’s keepers, as Cain should have been for his brother.
Rav Nissim and Rabbanit Sassoon maintained a havruta for Torah Study in the early 20th century, at a time when woman were excluded from serious Torah study. Rav Nissim, who later became Israel’s second Sephardic Chief Rabbi, insisted on publishing their mutual discussions.
Rabbi Ruditsky writes about the challenge of good and evil, especially in light of current events. He states that God created humanity with free will, thus opening the door for both good and evil. He reminds us that, despite the evil that resides in Hamas, we must never lose our humanity.
Rabbi Sacks’ essay on Bereishit is painfully pertinent and poignant, coming for this week’s parashah. He quotes Rashi, who wrote that the parashah should have begun with “This month shall be to you the first of months (Exodus 12:2)” instead of “In the beginning”.
Rabbi Barenblat writes a beautiful poem expressing the pain of this week’s events:
The purpose of leadership is to frame reality for the group. They show the group the map and the destination. As Rabbi Sacks states, ‘no one did it more powerfully than Moses’. As Moses says, “I am setting before you…the blessing and the curse…”. Please follow the link below to read his article on Re’eh, which we read for Shemini Atzeret:
We woke this morning to the news that Israel is officially at war with Hamas. My heart is heavy with grief. It’s especially heartbreaking on Shemini Atzeret / Simchat Torah. Like the Yom Kippur War, almost exactly fifty years ago, this coordinated series of attacks via land, sea, and air were a shock on a day of national religious celebration.
Rabbi Sacks writes about the tension between the universality of nature—the Four Species being a ritual of rain while eating in the succah depends on the absence of rain, and the particularity of history—the long journey through the wilderness. He continues to observe that the God of Israel is the God of all humanity while the religion of Israel is not the religion of all humanity.
Rabbi Barenblat blogs about celebrating Simchat Torah at home with her cat during the pandemic. She has included 7 poems to be sung for the hakafot. Please follow the link below for her thoughts on the hakafot and her poetry: